NEW INFO: Educating Parents and Students About The Dangers Of 'Sexting'
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Updated: 10:35 PM Mar 12, 2010
NEW INFO: Educating Parents and Students About The Dangers Of 'Sexting'
On Friday, a group of local high school students joined in a satellite town hall meeting on "sexting."
Posted: 10:35 PM Mar 12, 2010
Reporter: Randy Yohe; Bill Murray
Email Address: randy.yohe@wsaz.com; bill.murray@wsaz.com
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UPDATE from 6pm Friday 3/12 Newscast
PROCTORVILLE, Ohio (WSAZ) -- National numbers show that at least one in five teens has received a "sext" -- a nude or partially nude picture sent online or over the phone.

On Friday, a group of local high school students joined in a satellite town hall meeting on "sexting."

Fairland High School students heard from Ohio prosecutors, police and victims advocates on "sexting."

Police say that in most cases, parents are unaware of any teen "sexting."


ORIGINAL STORY
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- "Sexting" is defined as "the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos, electronically, primarily between cell phones."

It's a simple definition with complex consequences.

It's a new trend that's an excellent example of how technology sometimes outpaces the law. Right now, in the state of West Virginia, there's no definitive law against it.

"I think there'll probably be a move by the Legislature to address it in the near future, Cabell County Prosecutor Chris Chiles said. " The only definition they have now is the transferring of child pornography, and that's difficult to prove intent."

This week, Cabell County's Board of Education sent new guidelines
to administrators to help squash the problem before it gets out of hand.

"If it's found -- there are pictures on the phone -- it will be confiscated and turned over to the West Virginia State Police," Todd Alexander with the school board said. "We have to notify Child Protective Services and all parents have to be notified, including the parent of the student in the picture."

There already have been a handful of cases in Cabell County of children having nude pictures of other children on their phones -- some of them at the the middle school level.

The new guidelines were sent out this week. The school board hopes to have an official policy in place by the new school year.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Heather on Mar 18, 2010 at 10:25 PM

I am for sex education, but recent studies have shown that sex education IS starting to have an adverse affect on the number of teens having sex vs. teens having sex that were taught ONLY abstinence. Apparently the majority of sex education classes in America are basically telling students that THEY choose what to do with their bodies with no reinforcement being given on "save it for someone you love". Recent studies have also shown that teaching abstinence, but educating about condoms, etc., will have more of an impact on teen sex than anything else.
Posted by: Help us! on Mar 17, 2010 at 11:30 AM

Oh Lord Missy, I sure hope you are nobody's mother.
Posted by: missy on Mar 15, 2010 at 05:24 PM

kid's will be kid's and we can talk to them till we are blue in the face and only hope they listen. but think back when you was a teenages how will did you listen to your parents. i for one was told to save myself for marriage. but did i? did you? i think not.
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